T'Chaka and the Dora Milaje left soon after reiterating that they should remain in contact. Liam was as friendly as he could be. This visit was partly his fault since he tried to show off to Wakanda so he couldn't blame anyone for this visit but himself. It was not like Liam was in very deep need of Vibranium.
But it did help his friends, so he was okay with confronting Wakanda. He exhaled loudly. Now it was time to rest. Just like he had been doing for the past few months.
Behind him, Ciri approached quietly. Fenrir padded beside her, tail wagging slightly now that the room had lost its previous small wave of hostility.
"Well," Liam muttered. "That could've gone worse."
"You did well. Better than I would've, probably." Ciri replied. Though she didn't know how powerful this King was but sensing the power emanating from the King she could discern that he was like Captain.
She didn't fear him, but she feared that she would have made their conversation worse.
"You would've challenged him to a duel." Liam replied as a matter of factly.
"And win," she said smugly.
"No doubt." Liam laughed.
Fenrir barked once, as if to add his own approval, and Liam turned toward the kitchen.
"Come on. We finally have some peace. Let's celebrate with actual food. I think we have that ice cream you like somewhere in the freezer."
"Chocolate?" Ciri was ecstatic.
"The only flavor that matters," Liam said, striding toward the kitchen.
Just as he was about to pull open the freezer, however—
Knock. Knock.
Liam froze mid-step, his body instantly stiffening. His fingers hovered over the freezer door. Slowly, he turned his head toward the front door.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.
"Who is it this time?" Ciri frowned. Liam opened his powerful eyes again and knew immediately of who it was. He sighed and moved towards the door.
He yanked the door open with far less politeness than before. Standing there was a tall, stern figure cloaked in dark green robes.
"Mordo," Liam said, voice flat. "You have spectacular timing."
"I come with a message," he said. "From the Ancient One."
Liam arched an eyebrow. That caught his attention. He stepped aside, motioning for Mordo to enter. Ciri stood up straight. She was the teacher and hoped that she didn't want her back now itself. She had just come for a vacation.
Thankfully, he got right to the point.
"Six months ago," Mordo said, "Ciri had the outburst." Liam's face darkened slightly. Ciri stiffened, her hands clenching unconsciously at her sides.
"I remember." Liam didn't allow for Ciri to answer. It was a traumatic experience and Liam still had the picture of Elie on his living room. Liam knew by now, thanks to Caranthir, that Elie wasn't real and it was made using ancient magic. Elie was never real. Though he gained all of his emotions back and was able to express much better that didn't mean that he would just forgive Cathbad.
Yes, for some reason Liam held his teacher responsible. If Elie was real, it wouldn't have come to save him at that crucial time. He didn't even need saving, as after that demon incident he was very careful of his actions. If it was in his own world, that situation would never have happened.
In fact a part of him, now doesn't want to save their world either. Though he wouldn't do that since he would instantly lose his progress so he needed to save and elevate the world regardless. But the pain for the loss of Elie didn't just wipe away.
"That rupture," Mordo said, "was not fully contained." The words dropped into the room like lead weights.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning," Mordo said grimly, "that the tear she helped seal was took some time. The multiverse had been... opened and closed."
Silence hung heavy between them. Even Fenrir, who had been lounging lazily, stood now.
"Visitors," Mordo said. "Creatures, people, entities from other realms—some known, some... not—may have already crossed into this world. Some may be harmless. Others—"
He left the sentence unfinished. He didn't need to spell it out.
"Are they here because of me?"
"You did not intend it," he said. "But yes. The ripple spread farther than we anticipated. And now... the walls between worlds had opened for a brief moment."
Liam absorbed this quietly, his mind already racing through possibilities. If visitors had crossed over six months ago, they could be anywhere. Doing anything. And if even half of them were hostile... He had more knowledge of the multiverse than any of his friends.
"What do you want from us?" Liam asked finally.
"The Ancient One requests that you monitor the situation," Mordo said. "Be vigilant. Contain anything dangerous. Neutralize it if necessary. The Ancient One believes that you can handle them if you ever face it. And if you find them contact Kamar Taj."
"Simple enough," Liam said dryly.
Mordo turned toward the door but hesitated, glancing over his shoulder.
"And Liam... Be safe out there." Mordo said and expressed concern. Liam didn't express such feelings from Mordo but then again, he was still a good man.
The door clicked shut again, leaving Liam and Ciri standing there. For a long moment, neither spoke.
Finally, Liam broke the silence, turning to Ciri with a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well," he said, "so much for ice cream."
"Story of my life, right?" Ciri wasn't happy at all. She had learnt about the multiverse and the more she got to know the more she understood how dangerous it was and her travel through worlds should have killed her. It was a miracle that she was alive. Liam could see what she was thinking and thus came forward and gave her confidence.
"This isn't your fault," he said. "Don't let them make you think it is."
"But it is," Ciri whispered. "If I had more control—"
"Control comes with time," Liam interrupted gently. "You're stronger than you know. And you're not alone in this."
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Read 100 chapters ahead on my p@treon.com/thelightedghost